Waste-pipe tool



Sept. 27,1927.

C. E. D UNHAM WASTE PIPE TOOL Filed April 5, 1926 JM' ,llar/zeya .n r a 0h IFM WE. Ilm... ma

Patented Sept. 27, 1927.

UNITED ASTATES f CHARLES E. DUNHAM, F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

WASTE-PIPE TOOL.

Application led April 5, 1926.' Serial No. 99,868.

The object of this invention is to provideA a convenient and sanitary tool for use in connection with either pop-up or standing waste-pipes and the like used in,y plumbing, 5.as in wash-bowls, sinks, and the like, for draining the same. Y

Heretofore vno satisfactory means has eX- isted in the plumbing business for holding or turning waste-pipes while the same are being installed, repaired, or removed.

This invention consists of a very small tool that canjbe carried in the pocket or kit and which can be inserted into the upper ends of waste-pipes quickly, for the purposes above designated; andit consists broadly of a body portion and a plurality of eX- tensions therefrom adapted to engage the waste-pipe for holding,turning, or removing it as stated. A

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and following description and claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a cent-ral vertical sectionv through a wash-bowl and associated apparatuswith a pop-up waste-pipe and a waste-pipe tool inserted in the upper end thereof for use, parts being broken away; Fig. 2 is a vertical section of a portion of Fig. 1 on the line 2 2; Fig. 3 is a central section on an enlargedscale of the tool, waste-pipe, and bowl shown in Fig-1, parts being broken away; Fig. 4 is a sectiony of a wash-bowl similar to that shown in Fig. V1, but with a standing waste-pipe and `with a waste-pipe tool applied thereto; Fig. 5 is a section on a large scale on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5. There is shown herein a. washbowl 10 with waste outlet that has in it a pop-up waste-pipe 11, and the bowl has an overflow conduit 12. The overi'iow conduit provides a second double wallv13 in the bottom of the bowl, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and therefore the waste-pipe 11 has two lateral openings 14 for the overflow so that said waste-pipe is skeleton in form. The upper end of the wastepipe has a rim to fit smoothly in the bottom of the bowl, and thelower part is threaded to receive a clamp nut 15 and packing 16 for securing the pipe in place so it will not leak. The foregoing is a common type of construction and the invention is not limited to any particular form of the bowl, sink, or the like.

`The waste-pipe 11 is about 3 long and connects with a drain pipe 17. The wastepipe is provided with a. stopper, not shown, that is operated by the stopper operating means 18 and knob 19, all of which is a common construction.

The drain-pipe tool which constitutes this invention consists of a body portion 20, usually two or three inches in length and rectangular, butnot necessarily so, and provided with ahole21 through the upper portion for .the insertion of a rod or tool 22 for turning it orresisting its rotation.

.The body of the tool is slotted from a point below the hole 21 entirely Ldown to the lower end and widthwise of the tool so as to form a slot or chamber 23 yin which there is mounted a pair of fingers or grippers 24, as seen in Fig. 5. Each linger or gripper 24 is pivoted in the holder by a pin 25 near its upper end, and the fingers are located opposite to each other in the slot 23 and taper downwardly somewhat and have their free ends extended beyond the lower end of the body 20. These fingers are spread apart yieldingly by a wire spring 26 that is located between the upper ends of the fingers in A- shaped form and its two lower ends are bent laterally and project into small holes or recesses 27 in the inner walls of the fingers. The tendency of the spring is to force the lower ends of the fingers outward, but such outwardmovement of the lower ends of the fingers is limited by the rectangular upper outer corner of each finger engaging and abutting against-the upper wall 28 of the slot 23. I

' There is a laterally extending ear or projection 30 on the outer edge of each linger towards the lower end thereof but spaced from the lower end of the finger between one-fourth and one-half of an inch, and the ears or projections 30 extend laterally beyond the body of the finger from one-fourth to one-half an inch, although the invention is not limited to these exact measurements. The ears 30 are remote from the free ends of the fingers and inclined in a direction away from the ends of the ngers and toward the body of the tool, and their lower edges are conterminous with the lower end of the body 20.

There is shown in Fig. 4 a modified form of bowl 85 and a standing waste-pipe 36. This bowl has no overflow conduit and therefore the bottom is a single thickness. The

upper end of the waste-pipe 36 has a rim so that the pipe can be clamped in place in the bowl b y the nut 37, and the lower end of the waste-pipe is connected with a drain pipe 88 controlled by a valve7 not shown, at the lower end of the valve stem 39 and operated by a knob l0. riilhis construction is a common type and familiar' to all skilled in the art.

The waste-pipe 36 is partially closed at its' upperl end, being provided with a series of holes i1 through which the water drains from the bowl 'when the valve below is opened. i rthere are shown herein, therefore, two common types of waste-pipes and a wastepipe tool adapted to be readily applied to these pipes. In applying the tool to the waste-pipe shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the end of the tool carrying the fingers is inserted down into the pop-up waste-pipe by compressing the ears or projections until after said ears or projections have passed below the upper portion of the waste-pipe, and then they will spring out into the lateral openings 14 of the wasteepipe and engage the walls at the sides of said openings 14 and thus enable the tool to turn the waste-pipe or prevent it from turning.

rlhe waste-pipe can thus be held from turning while the clamp nut 15 is being tightened up or unscrewed. Also the tool can turn the drain pipe for screwing or unscrewing into connection with any part belowv the bowl.

In the standing waste-pipe 36 shown in 5, the lower ends of the fingers can be inserted in a plurality of holes 41 in the waste-pipe, and thereby that form of wastepipe may be held from turning while the nut 37 is being tightened up or released, or the waste-pipe can be turned in one direction or the other if necessary in installing it `or removing it.

VEhe tool can be readily withdrawn from the waste-pipe 11 because the upper edges of the projections 30 are inclined as best shown in Fig. 3, and as the tool is withdrawn upward the fingers will automatically be collapsed and thus enable the tool to be removed without injury to the waste-pipe.

TheV ears 30 are substantially horizontal at their lower ends to serve as stops to limit the downward mo-vement of the tool when inserted in a pop-up waste-pipe 11, as the ears spring into the openings 14 and the lower edges of the ears rest upon the bottom walls of the openings 14. With the standard pipe 36, the free ends of the lingers function to prevent Athe pipe from turning and both or either of the ears 30 or the lower end of the body 2O serve as a stop, by engaging with the top of the wasteepipe.

This tool enables one to use it for the purpose above explained wit-hout injuring, scratching, or marring the waste-pipe or plumbing, thus avoiding great injury to the waste-pipe and plumbing arising from the employment of miscellaneous tools for said purpose.

I claim as my invention:

1. A. waste-pipe tool consisting of a body transversely slotted atone end, a pair of oppositely located fingers in said slot which are pivoted near their upper ends to the body, and there being a laterally projecting ear on each finger with the lower end thereof substantially conterminous with the bottom of the body and with the upper edge of each v outward movement of the free endsrof the fingers, and a spring between said fingers tending to force them laterally outward, each of saidlfingers having an outwardly projecting ear spaced from the free end of the finger, and the edge of each ear which is remote from the free end of the linger being inclined away from the free end of the linger and towardithe body of the tool.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto afHXed my signature.

CHARLES E. DUNI-IAM. 

